Seven Elements You Need to Sell Ideas

President Barack Obama is a gifted orator who quickly rose to the pinnacle of American politics. But he still struggles to sell some of his economic stimulus initiatives to fellow elected officials and the public.

Regardless of the lengths he's gone to pitch his ideas, there's a big chunk of Americans who aren't buying his business strategy.

No one knows if Obama is right. Measuring the success of massive policy efforts like his takes years. Still, there's a lot we can learn from watching the president try to build support for his plans. Here are seven elements to selling big ideas.

Need: It's hard to get people's attention if there is no perceived need. People have been interested in hearing the president's plan because the economy was in a nosedive and it was affecting their lives.

Facts: A lot of research must be done to make a good case for why the idea should be considered. The president inherited a declining economy and broken financial system. He needed to come up with facts that would support his recommendations so people could see their potential.

Simple message: The message has to be straightforward. For example, the president needed to explain to the public the reason the government was providing capital to the automotive industry. It was because the government believed that the U.S. could compete if carmakers created more fuel-efficient cars. The government also didn't want more than 2 million people to lose their jobs, which would ripple through the rest of the economy.

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